Published on: February 25, 2013

“When our father was diagnosed with a condition which did not have any adequate treatment, we were really devastated. The anguish, helplessness, grief and to some extent, the guilt that we experienced knew no bounds. We were fervently searching for options which would keep him in comfort and make his last few days with us reasonably pleasant”

… thus went Dr Nandakumar’s letter.

He continued to say,

“Your systematic and stepwise management was very effective. We understood that when combined with scientific know-how, skill and experience, how much a person and his family benefit from thoughtfulness, compassion and a humane approach to a situation. No words can express our gratitude….”

People working in palliative care are not unfamiliar with this kind of encomium. But though palliative care can make such obvious difference to a person and his family, it still does not reach the large number of people who need it. Or it reaches them too late, resulting in a lot of needless suffering.

We need advocacy. The more the awareness about palliative care, the less the burden of disease-related suffering.